Politics is here defined as an activity & an area of human life that concerns power & its exercise. Though power by itself is morally neutral, it often serves as a means of enslaving other people & as such is a moral challenge for Christianity. Christianity does not give precedence to a certain political philosophy nor does it proscribe a certain form of government. However, the Christian understanding of love is a source from which many principles that serve as Christians' guidelines in politics spring: restraint, patience, readiness to compromise, recognition of one's mistakes, not yielding to hate. Christianity equally opposes anational cosmopolitanism & xenophobic nationalism & is in favor of patriotism & altruism as complementary virtues. In conclusion, the author deals with the harrowing political heritage & stresses the importance of a catharsis that should facilitate the transition to a democratic society & politics. Adapted from the source document.
Politics is here defined as an activity & an area of human life that concerns power & its exercise. Though power by itself is morally neutral, it often serves as a means of enslaving other people & as such is a moral challenge for Christianity. Christianity does not give precedence to a certain political philosophy nor does it proscribe a certain form of government. However, the Christian understanding of love is a source from which many principles that serve as Christians' guidelines in politics spring: restraint, patience, readiness to compromise, recognition of one's mistakes, not yielding to hate. Christianity equally opposes anational cosmopolitanism & xenophobic nationalism & is in favor of patriotism & altruism as complementary virtues. In conclusion, the author deals with the harrowing political heritage & stresses the importance of a catharsis that should facilitate the transition to a democratic society & politics. Adapted from the source document.
The article deals with the separation of church and state as the key historical turning point in the creation of one of the fundamental determining factors of contemporary states and political systems. The author gives an account of the contributions of the American and European political traditions, and presents a very comprehensive historical context in which Christianity introduced a new model of relations between church and state. The Western tradition of church-state interrelations is essentially characterized by the problem of separation, and by various legal-political arrangements founded on the principle of separation of church and state. Consequently, the article aims to put forward some of the relevant ideas which contributed to the creation of the church separation principle, as well as some of the basic elements of the relations between church and state in contemporary political systems. Adapted from the source document.
The author claims that, due to the specific Croatian political situation, it is difficult to define the relationships between Croatian political parties & their West European models. This is equally true for social democratic, liberal, & Christian democratic parties. Throughout Croatian history, Christian democracy was weak because there was no independent Croatian state. The struggle for Croatian sovereignty gave rise to the domination of a broad-based Croatian national movement, embodied in the first half of the 20th century in the Croatian Peasants' Party, & since 1989 in the Croatian Democratic Union (CDU). Though today Croatia is independent, the neither-war-nor-peace predicament stands in the way of Croatian parties (including the CDU) coming out with clean-cut platforms. However, since the Second General CDU Convention, this party has been trying to mold itself as a broad popular party whose platform includes the fundamentals of Catholic social canon: the protection of individual dignity, solidarity, subsidiarity, cooperation, & aspiring toward the common good. Adapted from the source document.
Late Antiquity, known as a transitory phase between Antiquity and the Middle Ages that encompasses the 4th-6th centuries, was characterized by major historical events that led not only to political and administrative changes, but also social, cultural and religious changes. This paper will elaborate the impact of these changes in the province of Dardania, of which the central territory corresponds to today's Kosovo, with a specific focus on the spread of Christianity and Christian architecture and changes in settlement patterns, as people moved from field settlements to hillforts. Moreover, it will present architectural features and the role of fortifications in Late Antiquity. ; Kasna antika, prijelazno razdoblje iz antike u srednji vijek, odnosno period od 4. do 6. stoljeća, obilježena je važnim povijesnim događanjima koja su rezultirala promjenama ne samo u političkom i administrativnom smislu, već i u društvenim, kulturnim i religijskim aspektima. Ovaj rad bavi se utjecajem tih promjena u provinciji Dardaniji, čije je središnje područje smješteno na današnjem Kosovu. Posebna pažnja bit će posvećena širenju kršćanstva i kršćanske arhitekture, promjenama u naseljima, te premještanjima stanovništva iz nizinskih naselja na gradine. U radu se donose i karakteristike arhitekture i uloga fortifikacija u kasnoj antici.
Religion & religious communities as active components of each social & cultural set & as major factors in its functioning may contribute to social processes & relations or affect them both integrationally & disintegrationally. The paper lays out the theoretical & methodological grounds (functionalism) for the analysis of these processes & relations. As the examples of the integrational influence on the social & political processes in Croatia following all the social & political changes, we can mention the activities of the Catholic church (particularly in the Diaspora) &, to a degree, those of the Pentecostal church, while the disintegrational influence was exemplified by the activities of the Serbian Orthodox church. The text also includes a comparative analysis of the empirical data obtained from two studies carried out in Croatia (based on several partial indicators), which indicate a marked turn towards religiosity. Highlighted are possible individual & social aspects of these changes as well as the need for a complex & systematic monitoring of the religious developments in Croatia, the results of which might point to the possible integrational or disintegrational potentials of this "new religiosity" within a broader social framework. 4 Tables, 9 References. Adapted from the source document.
The first part of the text presents the republican position of young Hegel. This position is developed primarily through a divergence from Christianity, which is, in Hegel's judgment, the spiritual pillar of political despotism and the main cause of German spiritual, social and political backwardness. According to Hegel, the main reason for the fatal influence of Christianity is its private character, the fact that it teaches man to despise this earthly life, tells him that he is unable to achieve moral perfection through his own efforts and turns him into an object of a transcendental power. In opposition to Christianity, Hegel puts forward the Greek popular religions, i.e. the antique republican orders as the only orders adequate to man's freedom, pointing them out also as models for his own time. The second part of the text shows how Hegel's giving up on his youthful republican-democratic ideals and his adherence to hereditary monarchy is a consequence of the appearance of the liberal moment in his political philosophy. Through acceptance of subjectivity as the supreme principle of the new age, Hegel realizes that a return to the substantial ethical unity of the Greek polis is impossible. At the same time, he sees in the constitutional monarchy of the hereditary type the only order adequate to modern conditions. Namely it preserves the autonomy of non-political spheres in the state, while simultaneously -- in the monarch who is not dependent on the will of those subject to his power -- the state unity is guaranteed as opposed to civil society as a space of interest plurality and socio-economic differences. Finally, the author strives to demonstrate how, in spite of Hegel's obvious opting for hereditary monarchy and rejection of the republic, his mature political philosophy also encompasses a republican dimension. This has to do with a contradiction between the republican form and the monarchic contents of the political state. Namely the latter is not (only) a machinery of power which serves as a counterbalance to civil society, but is defined as the sphere of true political community. It is however not shaped through the activity of individuals; their political subjectivity is embodied in the hereditary monarch. This contradiction, i.e. the republican essence of the political state, leads to the conclusion that political emancipation can be conceived as a natural and necessary consequence of civil emancipation also in the conceptual field of The Philosophy of Right. Adapted from the source document.
Democracy, as the government of the people by the people, is an inadequately defined notion, giving room for rival concepts of democracy: liberal, socialist, & Christian. The distinguishing features of the Christian outlook are respect for other human beings, the demand for individual involvement in politics, & the government's duty to look after everyone's well-being. The author points to the fact that Christian democracy, with its highlighted moral component of politics, was particularly attractive for the countries that went through fascist totalitarianism. Although the standards of the grand Christian precept of altruism have not been met in social & political life, the author concludes that today's global challenges reemphasize the relevance of the gospel message. Adapted from the source document.
Democracy, as the government of the people by the people, is an inadequately defined notion, giving room for rival concepts of democracy: liberal, socialist, & Christian. The distinguishing features of the Christian outlook are respect for other human beings, the demand for individual involvement in politics, & the government's duty to look after everyone's well-being. The author points to the fact that Christian democracy, with its highlighted moral component of politics, was particularly attractive for the countries that went through fascist totalitarianism. Although the standards of the grand Christian precept of altruism have not been met in social & political life, the author concludes that today's global challenges reemphasize the relevance of the gospel message. Adapted from the source document.
The author analyzes the crux of the Christian social creed & its relevance for the issue of the organization of a modern society. Christian tenets are universal & thus above party politics. The starting point of the Christian vision of society & the precepts of natural order & natural right are the cornerstones of the demand for the inviolability of individuals. Human rights imply ethical consideration: an interdiction against exploitation & hypocrisy & recognition of the quality of people. Unlike an individual, a society is a fortuity having no substantial reality: it is but a set of relationships among individuals. A society is nevertheless recognized as autonomous & pluralistic. It develops its own dynamics & contradictions, which call for studied efforts to maintain social balance. That is why the mediation of state in a society is requisite. The state is defined by the contemporary Christian canon (in line with Thomas Aquinas) as an institution fundamental in establishing a consummate human community. The scope of a state's activities is restricted: state intervention must take into consideration individual & collective rights & be in the service of achieving the common good. Adapted from the source document.
The author analyzes the crux of the Christian social creed & its relevance for the issue of the organization of a modern society. Christian tenets are universal & thus above party politics. The starting point of the Christian vision of society & the precepts of natural order & natural right are the cornerstones of the demand for the inviolability of individuals. Human rights imply ethical consideration: an interdiction against exploitation & hypocrisy & recognition of the quality of people. Unlike an individual, a society is a fortuity having no substantial reality: it is but a set of relationships among individuals. A society is nevertheless recognized as autonomous & pluralistic. It develops its own dynamics & contradictions, which call for studied efforts to maintain social balance. That is why the mediation of state in a society is requisite. The state is defined by the contemporary Christian canon (in line with Thomas Aquinas) as an institution fundamental in establishing a consummate human community. The scope of a state's activities is restricted: state intervention must take into consideration individual & collective rights & be in the service of achieving the common good. Adapted from the source document.
The paper highlights the remarkable religious homogeneity & the much-evolved secularization of Scandinavian societies as the distinguishing features of these countries. These traits explain why Christian parties in northern Europe have remained relatively minor compared to their counterparts in other European countries. Christian parties (except, perhaps, in Norway) are of a rather recent date in Scandinavian countries (in 1933 in Norway, in 1958 in Finland, in 1964 in Sweden, & in 1970 in Denmark) & have neither shaped nor deeply influenced the development of Scandinavian democracy as a political system or a lifestyle. Christian parties in Scandinavia emerged at the time when the democratic systems of these countries had already developed, & the electorate had already chosen to adhere to one party or another. The author claims that Christian parties in Scandinavian countries came into being as a sort of moral & ethical protest at the time of rapid cultural secularization, the role they have more or less retained until now. The emergence of these parties went somewhat against the grain. First, they emerged in religiously homogenous & conflict-free societies. Second, despite the fact that almost 90% of the populations of these countries belong to the Lutheran state church, their support for Christian parties has been relatively low. Although minor in the number of votes they get, the role of Christian parties in the political life of these countries is far from negligible, as can be seen by their inclusion as partners in the coalition governments (today in Denmark, Finland, & Sweden, & formerly in Norway). 19 References. Adapted from the source document.
The author points to the fact that Christianity & democracy have been at the center of the European cultural heritage. If democracy, in keeping with the American Declaration of Independence & the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, is defined as a political system aiming to protect human rights in a society, it can be demonstrated that this goes hand in hand with the social & political keynotes of Catholicism. It is Catholicism that dwells on human free will & the responsibility for choosing between good & evil. It also stresses man's concomitant participation in the activities of secular & religious communities -- the state & the Church -- which are strictly separated. It ensues that the Church cannot be a partisan of any political party, including those built around Catholics' secular activities. The Church also opposes the reduction of democracy to mere multiparty power squabbling. 3 References. Adapted from the source document.
The author points to the fact that Christianity & democracy have been at the center of the European cultural heritage. If democracy, in keeping with the American Declaration of Independence & the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, is defined as a political system aiming to protect human rights in a society, it can be demonstrated that this goes hand in hand with the social & political keynotes of Catholicism. It is Catholicism that dwells on human free will & the responsibility for choosing between good & evil. It also stresses man's concomitant participation in the activities of secular & religious communities -- the state & the Church -- which are strictly separated. It ensues that the Church cannot be a partisan of any political party, including those built around Catholics' secular activities. The Church also opposes the reduction of democracy to mere multiparty power squabbling. 3 References. Adapted from the source document.
